30 September,2015 07:51 AM IST | | PTI
Extreme sports athlete and TV personality Erik Roner has died in a parachuting accident in Squaw Valley, California. He was 39
Los Angeles: Extreme sports athlete and TV personality Erik Roner has died in a parachuting accident in Squaw Valley, California. He was 39.
Roner's death was confirmed by the Placer County Sheriff's Office. According to witness reports, Roner was performing at a golf event as part of a skydiving group when he struck a tree and became entangled in it while attempting to land, reported Entertainment Weekly.
Rescue personnel were able to remove him from the tree, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The other skydivers landed safely.
"There are no words that can express this tremendous loss to the Outside Television family. Erik was not only a colleague, but also a personal friend, and it was a joy to watch him celebrate life on a daily basis.
"We are still trying to process this tragedy. Our hearts go out to his family," Rob Faris, senior vice president of programming and production at Outside TV, said.
A native of Northern California, Roner pioneered ski Base jumping and was known to television viewers as a cast member of MTV's Nitro Circus and the host of Outside Television's 'Locals'.
An investigation into the accident is underway, and the FAA has been notified.
